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Council approves funding for summer mosquito control

By Michael S. Lee

Special to the Progress

The White Hall City Council voted Monday night to approve the expenditure of just under $30,000 for the purchase of a pesticide for use during the summer months in the municipal mosquito abatement program.

“We spent considerable money trying to keep the mosquitoes away last year and received a lot of compliments on the program,” White Hall Mayor Noel Foster said. “I’m asking the council to approve the expenditure of between $25,000 and $28,000 to purchase the chemicals we will need to spray for the complete summer season.”

Foster said the city will be able to take advantage of better prices by pre-ordering the chemicals.

In other business the Council voted to give Foster the authority to purchase a pre-owned tractor equipped with a front-end loader for the city.

“I anticipate that White Hall will be receiving grant funds of about $30,000 in the next two to three weeks for the purchase of this equipment,” Foster said. “We have purchased pre-owned equipment for the city in the past and this has allowed us to save money.”

Foster asked that the bid process be waived due to the fact that soliciting bids for pre-owned equipment is a difficult process.

The council approved an ordinance providing for the rezoning of a piece of property located at 7010 Sheridan Road from residential to general commercial.

The ordinance contained an emergency clause that made brought it into full affect as soon as it was approved by the council.

“The history behind this is that the property used to be half in White Hall and half in Pine Bluff,” Foster said. “With Pine Bluff’s permission the property was brought completely into White Hall city limits. The half of the property that was already part of White Hall was zoned commercial but when the other half was brought into the city it was zoned residential.”

The council passed a resolution appointing Paul Williams to fill a vacancy as a trustee of the Carter Estate.

“The Carter Estate is the site of the White Hall Veterans Memorial and the White Hall Museum,” Foster said.